Photographer's Note

Stockholm at night - in the Gamla Stan (Old Town)

Gamla stan (The Old Town), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna (The Town between the Bridges), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. The surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg are officially part of, but not colloquially included in, Gamla stan. The word "stan" is simply a contraction of the word "staden" ("sta'n"), meaning "the town."

The town dates back to the 13th century, and consists of medieval alleyways, cobbled streets, and archaic architecture. North German architecture has had a strong influence in the Old Town's construction.
Stortorget is the name of the scenic large square in the centre of Gamla Stan, which is surrounded by old merchants' houses including the Stockholm Stock Exchange Building. The square was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath, where Swedish noblemen were massacred by the Danish King Christian II in November, 1520. The following revolt and civil war led to the dissolution of the Kalmar Union and the subsequent election of King Gustav I.
As well as being home to the Stockholm Cathedral, the Nobel Museum, and the Riddarholm church, Gamla stan also boasts Kungliga slottet, Sweden's baroque Royal Palace, built in the 18th century after the previous palace Tre Kronor burned down. The House of Nobility (Riddarhuset) is on the north-western corner of Gamla stan.
The restaurant Den gyldene freden is located on Österlĺnggatan. It has been in business since 1722 and according to the Guinness Book of Records is the oldest existing restaurant with an unaltered interior. A statue of St. George and the Dragon (sculpted by Bernt Notke) can be found in the Stockholm Cathedral, while Riddarholmskyrkan is the royal burial church. Bollhustäppan, a small courtyard at Slottsbacken behind Finska kyrkan, just south of the main approach to the Royal Palace, is home to one of the smallest statues in Sweden, a little boy in wrought iron. The plaque just below the statue says its name "Järnpojken" ("The Iron Boy"). It was created by Liss Eriksson in 1967.
From the mid 19th to the mid 20th century Gamla stan was considered a slum, many of its historical buildings left in disrepair, and just after WW2, several blocks together five alleys were demolished for the enlargement of the Parliament (see Brantingtorget). From the 1980s, however, it has become a tourist attraction as the charm of its medieval, Renaissance architecture and later additions have been valued by later generations.
While the archaeology of the 370 properties in Gamla stan remains poorly documented, recent inventories done by volunteers have shown many buildings previously dated to the 17thy and 18th centuries, can be up to 300 years older. There is also a metro station in Gamla Stan with the same name. (Source: Stockholm & wikipedia)

Hi Gyorgy
a beautifully controlled night shot. A warm glow and wonderfully enticing POV make this such an effective and sublime image. Love the sparkling balls of light that guide you into the image and beyond. Excellent!

György Hello, very nice picture of the quiet night and nice street. It's a nice and interesting picture, with clarity, depth, good color and light. Very good and nice job well done, congratulations my friend. Tfs.

For a night scene, this is incredibly 'warm'.
Your pov works really well, leading from the f/g to the b/g with a lovely, sensuous curve, still maintaining the rule of thirds. A fine sense of perspective pervades.

I would blur the noisy sky & use levels to add density to the slightly oe highlights using a feather of 22-33 pixels. Good composition & sharpness. Not easy to do at night with a long shutter speed. I like the warm colors & curved, narrow, alley and street. Tfs!

Hi George
This shot looks rather gloomy and atmospheric but sufficient warm glow to lift the spirit. Excellent exposure for the natural and mix light conditions and the viewpoint is effective while keeping the point of interest - the prominent old buildings- brightly lit in sharp focus and smoothly receding. Enough contrast to the night sky and great having the fig to add a human touch and giving us an idea of perspective. Well done under this circumstances but with an appealing shot no doubt. Well done, TFS
Warn regards